


Imprint Love

by Arianna



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-02
Updated: 2012-01-02
Packaged: 2017-10-28 18:26:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/310828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arianna/pseuds/Arianna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post TSbyBS, Blair is a paid consultant with the PD. Jim's feeling twitchy and Blair thinks maybe he needs to imprint Blair, and that they need to consciously bond. First times.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Imprint Love

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Español available: [Imprimir el amor](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9575393) by [JKlog](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JKlog/pseuds/JKlog)



There wasn't time to even shout out a warning. Sentinel sight had revealed a shadow within the shadows, and Jim leapt to knock Blair flat, just as a flicker of flame in the darkness accompanied the blast of the gun.They both landed awkwardly, cushioned by the sloppy mud beneath them, and their respective grunts as they hit the ground almost masked the whistle of the bullet as it sped through the air where Sandburg had been standing only a heartbeat before. Ignoring the searing pain in his shoulder and upper back, from having slipped and twisted as he'd leapt forward, Ellison was already returning the fire. There was a sharp, muffled scream and then silence but for the howl of the wind and the crash of the surf against the cliffs below. "Stay down," Jim growled as he quartered the night, seeking any sign of further hostile action.

Remaining silent, Blair simply rolled onto his side so that he could reach out and touch Ellison's shoulder, grounding him, anchoring him as Jim's eyes scanned the night.

"Looks like that was the last of them," Ellison murmured as he cautiously began to stand, then winced and groaned under his breath at the sharp stab of pain in his back and shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Sandburg demanded, instantly alert. "Are you okay?"

"Musta twisted my back," Ellison replied as he gingerly got to his feet, using Sandburg as a human ladder, then stood leaning against his Guide for a moment while he let the muscle spasm relax. "Nothing serious," he rumbled as he stood away.

"Yeah, right," Blair replied, clearly not buying it. "We better get you checked out."

"Let's just finish up here, okay?" Jim replied dryly, moving forward a little stiffly to check on the man he'd just shot. But, Lucas Talmidge wouldn't be giving anyone anymore trouble. Nor would his compatriot, Jocko Johansson. Both had died that night in the ambush they'd set for a persistent police detective and his intrepid civilian partner. The two men had been responsible for a string of home invasions that had left two people dead and five others in hospital.

But, the case was done now, closed. Only the paperwork remained.

A light drizzle had started again, blessedly cool as it dampened and relieved the heavy, humid heat of the night.

"Why don't you call in the back-up, Junior, and I'll check the area to see if there's anything we've missed," Jim directed.

"You're sure you're okay?" Sandburg persisted, a worried frown creasing his brow.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a bit stiff," Ellison reassured him, glad it was over. Seemed like they hadn't stopped since Sandburg had come on board as a paid consultant three weeks before. He was tired, they both were. But, as soon as the paperwork on this case was done, they could take off for a couple of days.

Tomorrow. They could head into the mountains tomorrow. Away from the city's heat, and the filth of its streets, up into the clear, clean air of the mountains, cool and peaceful.

Stifling a yawn as he retrieved the dead men's weapons and tracked back to their car, hidden in a copse of trees just off the road, Ellison found he couldn't wait to get away.

He felt... twitchy. The word wasn't quite right but was the best he could come up with to describe the subtle irritation he'd been feeling with all his senses. Ever since Blair had come back and they'd cleared the air. Ever since he'd gone public and had started having to dodge the media, all Ellison had wanted was to get away with his Guide. To connect, somehow, though he couldn't explain, even to himself, why he felt it was necessary.

He hadn't even tried to explain it to Sandburg.

What was there to explain, really? He just felt... twitchy.

 

* * *

 

They packed up the truck before heading into the station so they'd be 'good to go' as soon as they had the report in Simon's in-basket. Jim's back and shoulder were still stiff, so despite his protests, Blair insisted on playing 'mule', making three trips to load up the truck with their tent, sleeping bags, back packs, fishing poles, sacks of supplies and duffels. There'd be no lengthy 'trekking' this trip, just a place near a river off a winding logging trail they'd discovered a couple of years back. Miles from civilization but accessible.

Simon was a little huffy about the fact that they were setting out on a fishing trip without him. But his irritation gave way to a scowl of concern when he saw how stiffly Ellison was moving.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked when Jim winced a little as the detective leaned forward to hand the report to him, the stretching motion causing his shoulder to twinge.

"I'm fine," Jim muttered. "Just twisted my shoulder last night."

"Saving my life, again," Blair added, rambling in behind him.

Simon's brows lifted a little at that information, the signal that he'd like a little more information.

"Jim knocked me down, out of the way of a bullet," Sandburg obliged. Twisted his back and shoulder when he did it."

"I see," Simon replied dryly with a slight shake of his head. "Well, the good guys won and that's what counts. Hope it doesn't interfere with casting your line up on the river..."

"You know you would have been welcome to join us, Simon," Blair offered, picking up on the tinge of sarcasm.

"Oh, I know I have to work this weekend, Sandburg," Simon rumbled, but he rewarded the anthropologist with a slight smile. "I'm just worried the two of you will get into trouble if I'm not around to watch over you, that's all."

Jim snorted at that, trying unsuccessfully to repress his own grin. "We'll be good, Captain," he assured his superior.

"And we'll bring you back some fish," Blair added, his eyes twinkling.

"Go on," Simon sighed, waving toward the door. "You're work here is done for the moment. Go, have a good time."

Chuckling, the partners were only too happy to oblige.

Gathering up their light jackets against the rain that was still persisting over Cascade, they headed down the elevators and along the corridor to the parking garage. On the way, they had to push past a group of uniforms who were just coming on duty.

"Really thought Ellison was better than that, you know?" one muttered with a cautious look back at them as they moved away.

"Kid's like a limpet," another replied with disparaging tones, "always touching him. Guess the hair and the ass were too much to resist."

Someone sniggered and then the garage door cut off the sound.

Jim had kept moving, having heard that crap too often to even notice it any more. But, he could tell from Sandburg's elevated heart rate that his partner had heard it this time, too. As they separated to get into the truck, he didn't need Sentinel senses to see the flush of anger or the fury flashing in the large, expressive eyes as Blair climbed into the old Ford and slammed the door.

"Ignore them, Chief," Jim said mildly as he fastened his own seat belt and started up the engine.

His advice was met by a soft snort of derision. Sandburg shook his head, then pushed his hair back behind his ears. "You deserve better than that, man," Blair muttered. "You deserve respect, not ridicule."

Ellison shrugged as he guided the truck up the ramp. "Consider the source, Junior," he replied, unconcerned.

"I AM considering the source," Blair flared back. "You might need those guys to back you up some day." Turning to gaze out the window, his lips narrowed as he murmured, "Course, I've heard worse, I guess."

Frowning, Jim looked over at him."Worse?"

"Yeah, well, those guys didn't make it sound like we were the lowest life forms that ever crawled out of the sea," he mumbled. "I worry that some of them would like to make it personal. You know... that... that 'perversion' however they define it should be wiped off the face of the earth. I don't trust some of them to back you up, if you need it someday."

Jim wasn't particularly worried. He'd been hearing the comments for four years now and it had never been a problem on the job. He was a little surprised, though, that Sandburg was so worked up about it. "Does what they say or think bother you, Chief?"

Blair cut him a quick look. "What have I just been saying? They piss me off, man!" he exclaimed, waving his hand for emphasis. "Oh, I don't care what they say about me, though it would be nice to think that I bring more than my ass and my hair to work! But, you are the quintessential Alpha Male, Jim... it's gotta make you nuts to hear crap like that. And it bugs me to think your safety could be compromised by their assumptions and judgments."

Ellison sniffed. "Alpha male, huh?" he drawled with a small grin. "Well, this Alpha male isn't bothered by the assessments of jerks who judge other men by where they assume they put their dicks. Okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Blair muttered, turning away.

"And you bring a lot more than your ass and hair to work, Junior," Jim added for good measure. "We don't call you Einstein for nothing, you know."

Blair had to smile at that, pleased by the comment. His anger assuaged, he became more reflective as he mused, "As if it even matters, you know? I mean, there are any number of male-dominated cultures where sexual intercourse between men is not only accepted but encouraged. Sometimes for relief, sometimes for much more than that. A kind of merging of bodies and souls, between comrades in arms. Sword-brothers." Shrugging, he said almost wistfully, "And they miss the whole point, anyway. Love in any form is wondrous and should be cherished and celebrated... not mocked or demeaned."

As he pulled onto the highway heading up into the mountains, Ellison pondered that remark. Curious, unwilling to acknowledge there could be more to his interest, the words having made the question safe, he asked quietly, "Have you ever... you know. Been with another man?"

Startled, Blair turned to face his best friend. "Me? No," he replied. "Not that I think it's wrong, or anything. I just... well, it's never come up..."

When Jim barked out a laugh at that, Blair blushed as he stuttered, "Hey, watch it! You know what I mean," he chastised.

"Maybe not for another man, Chief," Jim drawled as he cut his partner a knowing look. "But, 'it's come up' a time or two in the right circumstances."

Snickering, Sandburg looked back at the passing scenery. But, now he was curious. "What about you?" he asked. "Much as it's denied, the military is exactly the kind of male society that leads to intimate relationships and bondings. The danger, the comradeship, for relief, for love..."

Ellison shook his head. "No, me neither, Chief," he replied. "In those days, I just wasn't prepared to let anyone get that close, you know? And, there was Lila and Veronica... well, I just never felt like that about another guy."

'Not then, anyway,' he thought to himself as he breathed in a whiff of the herbal shampoo that lingered in Sandburg's hair and the scent of his friend's leather jacket. Swallowing, he shook his head marginally. That wasn't how he felt now, either, not really. But, he had this... this growing need to touch Sandburg, to drink him in with all his senses.

It was driving him crazy because he couldn"t figure out why.

They'd been partners for four years... why now did he feel this increasing need to... to what? Merge with Sandburg, as if they were one inseparable being? Swallowing again, Ellison forced back the feelings of twitching senses, uncomfortable, physically as well as emotionally.

 

* * *

 

They reached their haven of peace by midafternoon and quickly unloaded the truck to set up their basic camp. They'd left the rain behind in Cascade, and here in the mountains, the sky was clear and the sun hot. They both changed into shorts, stripping off their shirts and pulling on waders to move into the fast-flowing icy stream of the river to cast their lines.

Downstream, Jim heard Sandburg's shout of triumph and looked up to see his friend holding up a trout that had to be a good eighteen inches long.

"Dinner's covered, big guy!" Blair announced jubilantly. "I caught it... you cook it!"

The wide smile on Ellison's face froze as his gaze was caught by motion up the river, coming at Sandburg. A massive tree branch was caught in the rushing river, moving with inexorable and deadly force straight at his partner.

"Chief, LOOK OUT!" Jim cried out, already in motion toward Blair.

But, the warning came too late. Sandburg turned and, seeing the threat, tried to lunge out of the way, but the solid wood caught him, clipping his body and leg, sending him tumbling into the current. Stunned, winded, he thrashed helplessly, his head disappearing under the surface.

Ellison felt a blast of icy fear as he dove toward his friend, just managing to snag onto one flailing arm as the river took Sandburg, rushing him away to the rapids not far below them. Gripping tightly, ignoring the sharp protest of his aching shoulder, Jim fought the current and hauled Blair toward him, pulling his head up and out of the water.

Gashing, choking, coughing up a lungful of water, Blair first fought his grip, but then as he became more aware and the fear receded, he relaxed in Jim's clasp, allowing his best friend to haul him back to shore. Ellison kept one strong arm around his friend as he helped Sandburg stagger back up onto solid ground. Blair was shivering from the pitiless cold of the river water, his bronzed skin showing an unhealthy blue underneath the golden tan, and he limped a little, his leg beginning to ache from the blow of the heavy limb. Jim kept him moving, supporting him up to their camp, where he grabbed up a towel and began to vigorously rub Sandburg's hair and body, to dry and warm him.

On the way, Blair had stumbled out of the waders, which had filled with water and which had been dragging him down under, leaving them behind on the shore. Now he pulled off the sodden, icy shorts, glad that he"d packed warm, flannel, jogging pants.

"Thanks, Jim," he stuttered, his teeth still chattering from the cold.

Now that he knew Blair was all right, his own surge of adrenaline died away, leaving the Sentinel trembling with residual terror and cold. Blair noticed and returned the favour, grabbing another towel from their supplies and rapidly drying off his friend. "Get out of those shorts, Jim," he ordered. "They"re soaking wet and chilling you."

Wordlessly, Ellison complied. But his movements were awkward, his hands shaking so badly they were just about useless. Blair helped him to strip and rubbed down his body, bringing warmth back to chase away the chill.

"You okay?" Sandburg asked, worried by Ellison's air of abstraction.

"Yeah," Jim grated, but it was clear he was lying. His face was pale, his eyes haunted and his whole body was still trembling.

"What is it, Jim?" Blair asked, low and urgent. "What's wrong... are you hurt?"

"No," Ellison managed to mutter. "No. I... I just... you almost... I..."

"Hey, it"s all right," Sandburg soothed, beginning to understand. Wrapping his arms around Ellison's shoulders, he chanted softly, "I'm here, I'm all right. You saved me... for the second time in two days, I might add! Easy, Jim, everything's all right."

Sighing, Ellison closed his eyes and leaned into his partner's embrace, soothed by the warm flow of words and their message of reassurance.

Once the tremors subsided, Sandburg looked down at his friend, touched by how deeply Jim was affected by fear for his well being. As he felt Jim regain his balance and pull away, to lighten the mood, he groused, "I lost the fish!"

Ellison snorted and shook his head. "Well, guess we'd better go back and try to catch another one, Chief," he replied dryly. "Just steer clear of floating logs, okay?"

"You got it, man," Blair assured him with a bright grin as he helped Jim to his feet and, after Jim had pulled on a pair of dry shorts, they ambled back toward the river.

 

* * *

 

They'd caught dinner with no further misadventure, and cooked their simple meal over the campfire. The evening remained warm as the shadows lengthened into night, the flicker of the fire's light illuminating the darkness.

Jim had been quiet ever since he'd pulled Blair from the water. Though he seemed amiable enough, Sandburg could sense that his friend was preoccupied. When he caught Jim unconsciously rubbing at his sore shoulder, he rummaged in his back pack and pulled out a small bottle of massage oil, lightly scented with vanilla and lavender.

"Let me rub that shoulder for you," he said quietly as he stood to move around the fire and kneel behind Jim. "Pull off your shirt."

At first, Jim was going to refuse, but the muscle was stiff and a little sore. "Okay, thanks," he mumbled as he pulled the t-shirt over his head.

Blair warmed the oil in his hands, and then began to work it into Jim's shoulder, paying attention to the tight, tender area he found around the shoulder blade. Jim rumbled deep in his throat in wordless pleasure as the muscle relaxed under the soothing ministrations of his friend.

Thoughtfully, Blair asked, "Is there something bothering you, Jim? You've been awfully quiet." Immediately, his sensitive fingers felt the muscles under his hands tense. Even as Jim shook his head and mumbled that everything was fine, Sandburg called him on it. "No... something's not fine," he stated bluntly. "Come on. We agreed not to hide stuff. I know it's hard for you to open up if something's worrying you, but you've got to let me in, man, or I can't help you."

Jim blew out a breath, conscious that Blair's hands had stilled on his back and shoulder. This was the Guide... the one who said that getting in his way when he was looking out for his Sentinel could be dangerous.

"It's not anything wrong, exactly," Jim temporized, trying to find the words to express what he had been feeling for some time now.

"Then what 'exactly', is it?" Blair persevered, resuming his soothing massage of his friend's tense muscles.

Shaking his head, Jim lifted one hand almost helplessly and let it fall away. "I don't know if I can explain," he muttered and then, as a thought occurred to him, he straightened a little. "You know, in your journal, you wrote about this 'wall' between us?"

"Uh huh," Blair murmured, listening.

"Well... I guess I feel it, too," Ellison replied, hastening to add, "though, it's better now, since you came back and we're working together again. Everything's great, really. It's just... I don't know... I feel all twitchy, like my senses are unsettled. Like I need something... but I don't know what."

Blair thought about that for a moment. "How long have you been feeling like this?" he asked quietly.

Shrugging, Jim replied, "I'm not even sure about that. It's happened from time to time ever since we first met... but, it's been worse since... well, since the fountain. But, I just ignored it, too intent upon proving to myself that I could handle everything myself. But... it's getting more intrusive. Almost constant lately."

"Okay," Blair murmured, encouraging him. "Tell me more about what the 'unsettled' feeling is about. What are your senses telling you?"

Ellison swallowed, his head bowed as he replied quietly, "It's like... like I need to make some kind of... of connection. To you." He hesitated, then continued, "For example, earlier today, I was suddenly aware of the smell of your shampoo in the truck and I wanted so much to touch you at the same time. And... and when you got hit by that log in the river, and then when you hugged me... I didn't want to let go."

"Maybe it's a Sentinel thing," Blair murmured to himself, his brow furrowed as he considered various ideas.

Shifting to the side, he sat beside Jim, where he could see his friend's face. Jim flicked him a look and then stared into the fire as he listened. Rubbing his lip, Blair continued slowly, putting the thoughts together out loud, "You almost lost me at the fountain after we'd already been estranged by the reaction to Alex. And, then, the walls were up for real as you defended against your sense of need for me as your Guide. Today, well, it was over quickly, but for a moment, you must have triggered that sense of fear of loss again. Sentinels and Guides, according to Burton, and from what we're learning from our own experience, need one another... need to identify with one another and be secure in the relationship, or it doesn't work."

"I'm secure," Jim replied, his voice a little tight. "We cleared all that up a few weeks ago."

"Maybe not completely," Blair replied as he studied his friend. "Maybe we never, ever, really, bonded properly. It's hard in our world, our society... but, maybe you need to imprint me, with your senses..."

"Imprint?" Jim asked, turning to look at Blair, confusion written on his face.

"Yeah, you know, with your senses," Sandburg continued, warming to his idea. "Maybe that's why they feel 'unsettled'... unconnected... the way you need to be."

"I don't understand," Jim replied, shaking his head.

"Jim," Blair replied, his voice low and reassuring, "maybe you need to... experience me... with all your senses. You know, like you said you felt a need to touch to ground your sense of smell in the truck."

Biting his lip, Jim looked up at the stars as he thought about it. "You think I need to _smell_ you?" he demanded, his nose wrinkling at the thought, though his lips twitched as he teased.

Sandburg picked up on the trace of teasing and ostentatiously sniffed his own armpits. quot;Well, it's not so bad... I did take an impromptu bath in the river earlier," he replied, his eyes twinkling, his grin irresistible.

Thinking about it, Ellison could feel that it made sense. But, the idea was uncomfortable. Invasive of Blair's person. Swallowing, he nodded and looked to his Guide. But, it was Sandburg's idea and he seemed okay with it. "Feels right... I think you're on to something, here. So... how do I 'imprint' you?" he asked, uncertainly, letting Sandburg set the parameters of this little test.

Blair took a deep breath, then pulled off his own shirt. The firelight danced over his tanned skin and flickered in his hair as he replied, "You, uh, look, touch and smell at the same time, I think."

When Jim hesitated, Blair could see the idea of such intimate exploration bothered his friend. "It's okay," Sandburg assured him. "Go at your own speed. I'll just sit here and not move. Let your senses guide you to what you need to experience."

Ellison gazed at Blair for a long moment, trying to figure out what his senses needed him to do. His throat felt dry and he licked his lips once, then stood to move around behind Blair, dropping to kneel at his back. Sandburg felt feather-light fingers touch his hair, then weave through the curls to trace his skull as Jim leaned forward to sniff his head.

"Talk to me," Jim said softly. "I need to hear your voice while I do this."

"Makes sense," Blair replied, then snickered a little at the pun. "If it's all your senses that need to be in play, you need to hear as well as see or touch or smell, right? Okay, so I talk. Hmm... well, for a big tough guy, you have a really delicate touch, you know that?" he observed impishly.

Ellison snorted a little at the teasing tone, relaxing as Blair had hoped he would. "Keep talking, smart guy," he muttered as his hands dropped to Blair's shoulders and he leaned down to sniff the nape of his friend's neck.

"Okay," Blair acceded amiably. "Why don't you tell me what you smell... like the scent of the soap I use. Or what you feel when you touch my skin.

"Silk," Ellison murmured. "Feels like silk, but I can feel your muscles, too... the strength. There's a citrus scent from the shampoo and soap, an earthy smell from the river... and you. I smell you."

Blair nodded in acknowledgement as he felt Jim's hands explore his back. "Easy," he said, twitching a little, "no tickling, okay?"

He heard a warm chuckle behind him, but the touch changed, deepening a little, more a massage than a tickle. "Better," he observed. "So, how does it feel?"

"It's... strange, actually, but, yeah... I feel better," Jim answered, his voice a little distant as he concentrated his senses on his Guide. "Stand up... and lose the pants..." he muttered as his hands met the fabric of the sweat pants at Blair's waist.

"What?" Blair exclaimed, twisting around to look at his friend.

Realizing what he'd said, Ellison blushed and stammered as he looked away. "I didn't mean... I meant I need to see... touch... your body. I... sorry... this is ridiculous."

"No, no, it's not," Sandburg protested. "You just caught me by surprise, that's all. It's okay... when animals or birds imprint, they examine the whole body, too. I just wasn't thinking, sorry." Standing, Blair swallowed, then peeled off his sweat pants. Hell, this wasn't all that different from being in a locker-room with other guys, with communal showers.He pushed away the thought that in the locker room or shower there was an unspoken etiquette of NOT looking. However, essentially comfortable with his body and with nudity, Sandburg knew that Jim was probably a lot more embarrassed about this than he was. Besides, he was finding it fascinating and he was castigating himself for not having realized that such imprinting between a Sentinel and Guide was no doubt intrinsic to their relationship. Standing now with Jim behind him, he said, "Go on, Jim... it's okay. Really. I don't mind."

Ellison hesitated for a moment, but his need to connect drove him forward. Tentatively, he reached out to touch Sandburg's buttocks with the tips of his fingers and leaned in until his forehead was resting against the small of Blair's back. "Keep talking," he implored, as he closed his eyes to feel the muscle through the skin, the bone... as he drank in the clean, healthy smell of his Guide's skin.

"Right," Blair replied, not knowing whether to blush or giggle as he felt Jim's hands trace the contours of his body. "Um, okay, as I was saying earlier, Burton's research definitely alludes to an almost mystical connection between the sentinels and the guides that he encountered. They had an abiding awareness of one another and seemed to anticipate one another's needs. Certainly, he wrote about the commitment they had for one another, and in one of his monographs, he reported hearing stories about how one or the other had given their lives to shield their partner... only, uh, he also reported that those stories indicated that neither seemed quite 'whole' again... and, well, it seems one doesn't live long without the other."

"Uh huh," Jim grunted to signal he was listening even as his hands traced the strong ligature of Sandburg's legs, down past his knees and to his ankles. "Keep talking," he directed as he shifted to move around so that he was kneeling in front of Sandburg, his hands lifting to trace Blair's face.

Blair looked down into his friend's face and could see the intensity of the concentration that Jim was lavishing upon him. It was... disconcerting. Lifting his gaze to the trees beyond their campfire, he swallowed and continued, "Yeah, well, anyway, I think, maybe, this is part of the ritual bonding that we just didn't understand at the beginning. And, we managed okay for a long time without it. But the lack of it was probably, in part, what got between us when Alex came into town. I wasn't solidly enough a part of your world and you didn't know where I fit anymore. But, when I... uh... at the fountain, well, the need for connection crashed in and that's probably why you were able to bring me back. Why you even felt driven to bring me back."

"Mmm," Jim murmured, his fingers tracing Blair's jaw and turning his face a little aside as he leaned in to sniff at his ear and throat. He felt the ache inside, that had become so much a part of his waking awareness that he'd scarcely noticed it anymore, begin to subside as a peace grew in his mind and chest. He could touch, smell, see and hear his Guide to his heart's content, reveling in the contact, feeling it center him. Ground him. Part of him marveled at Blair's trust in him and his partner's willingness to submit to this 'imprinting'. His hands moved to Blair's shoulders and he kneaded them for a moment, then his fingers drifted down each arm to Blair's fingertips, slowing to feel the pulse at elbow and wrist... then back up again as he leaned in to sniff his Guide's scent, stronger now somehow, muskier. "Go on..." he directed, his voice a low growl in his throat as he leaned in to sniff at Blair's throat and feel the pulse there.

Blair was struggling to keep his voice level and his tone academic and reassuring.This was Jim. His Sentinel. His best friend and partner. The guy he lived with. The guy.

But there was no denying the sensuality of the touch and the effect it was having on him. Intimate and unhesitating now, yet still almost wondering in the warmth of the slow caress. "Yeah, so anyway," Blair resumed, "when you put up the psychic wall to protect yourself from needing me too much, I felt it, too. Because it's not what or who we are. We need the closeness. Need the contact to ground one another. Without it, neither of us is really, uh, healthy, I guess. The wall gets in the way of understanding one another." He had to swallow again as Jim's hands moved down his chest, fingers drifting through the hair there, thumbs brushing across his nipples and sending an electric rush straight to his loins. He knew he was blushing, could feel the heat in his own body. Knew Jim could probably feel it, too. "Um... Jim... sorry, don't want to embarrass you or anything, but I seem to be reacting a little here." When Jim's hands froze on his body, grasping his ribs, Blair looked down and saw that Jim looked almost stricken... not sure what to do. Embarrassed to have embarrassed Blair.

"Sorry," Ellison muttered, his muscles tensing, his throat dry. He'd felt the heat building under Blair's skin, but hadn't thought about what it meant. The warmth had been soothing somehow. And the ache in his chest was building again, deep inside, now that he was more aware and had stopped, preparing to pull away.

"It's all right, man," Sandburg reassured him. "I, uh, I just didn't want to offend you anything. How's it working anyway? How're you feeling?"

Swallowing, Jim shook his head a little, confused. His voice hoarse, he replied, "It... it feels good. Right, somehow, to do this. But... wrong, too. And, I..." Jim's words faltered to a stop as he forcefully made himself break the contact and he pulled his hands away. "This is crazy," he grated.

Blair immediately lifted his hands to Jim's shoulders. "No, it's not crazy," he replied steadily, his voice strong and confident. "It's just something we hadn't known was necessary. I don't mind, really, I don't. I'm your Guide. To be honest, it feels right to me, too. Like I needed to have you do this... like branding me as 'yours', somehow. If you need to keep going, it's all right, Jim. Do what you need to do here and now to bond us together."

 

* * *

 

Hesitating, almost having to force the words out, Jim muttered, "I have five senses."

"Yeah, so?" Blair replied. "Sight, sound, touch, smell and... taste." He paused a moment. "You need to taste me, too?" he asked, his voice a little husky.

"I don't... I..." Jim faltered, still not meeting Blair's eyes, but feeling a compulsion to be honest. "Yes," he ground out, somehow ashamed of the need but unable to deny it.

Blair gazed down at him and took a breath. Nodding to himself, he swallowed and then whispered, "All right. Whatever you need, Jim." When his friend still hesitated, frozen in place, his hands hanging limply at his side, Blair placed strong, sensitive fingers against his jaw and lifted Jim's face so that they could look into one another's eyes. "Taste me," Sandburg commanded.

A moan of need in his throat, Jim reached up to cup Blair's face in his hands, his wondering gaze searching Blair's wide eyes. Understanding, Sandburg sank to his knees, his hands again on Ellison's shoulders. Jim leaned in and brushed Blair's lips with his own, then paused to pull Blair's lower lip with his own lips. Blair's lips parted and Jim could smell the sweetness of his breath. One hand moved to cradle Blair's head, fingers entangling in his hair, as Jim covered his mouth, banishing the horror of his memories of cold, blue, lifelessness with warmth... with life. Tongues met and danced, tip to tip and along one another's length as Ellison sucked deeply, as if he could swallow his Guide, drown in him.

Blair responded, his hands coming up to cradle Jim's head and press him closer. When Jim's hand fell to caress his chest and sensuously rub his nipple, pulling a little on the ring, Blair moaned in his throat and arced against his partner's hand. He felt emotion surge through him, as if a dam had broken, laying waste to all the restraint and reticence. Lips breaking apart, Jim traced a path across his cheek to his ear, nuzzling there, then sucking on his ear lobe.

"God, Jim..." Sandburg sighed, closing his eyes to savour the sensations blasting through him.

Jim eased him back onto the ground, kissing him again deeply, tasting the sweetness, the tang of Sandburg, smelling him, feeling him, seeing him... hearing his breath coming faster, his heart beginning to race... and he felt the heat building in his own body. His fingers explored Sandburg's chest, stimulating him further, tracing through the fine, curly hair and following its path down to the hollow of Blair's abdomen. His lips moved to suckle at Blair's nipples, moaning as Sandburg arced up to his mouth, needing him as much as he needed his Guide. The musky scent deepened, stirring something deep within. Something atavistic and irresistible.

This was _his Guide_ under his hands and lips. The other part of himself. The part that made him whole. The being who filled all the empty spaces inside his heart and soul, who made him safe and who was committed to his welfare. This was his Guide, whom he trusted with everything he was to the core of his soul.

Whom he loved with every fibre of his being.

And needed, as he needed nothing else on earth.

"I need..." he groaned, his lips moving down Sandburg's body, his hands already caressing Blair's swollen balls and strong erection.

"Please," Sandburg whispered, breathless, the need great in his own belly, his body trembling with it.

The whispered plea unlocked the last restraint Ellison had been holding upon himself and his actions.His lips brushed down, his tongue delicately licking, caressing, tracing the long vein and circling the weeping head of Blair's shaft. He felt his senses erupt in the glory of sight, touch, scent and taste and he could hear Blair's hectic breathing, the pulse of his partner's heart escalating in excitement and need. Jim licked again, inhaling deeply as he swallowed, his hand tightening around Blair, beginning to pump as he opened his mouth and swallowed Blair, taking him deeply inside.

Blair moaned loudly and his hips began to thrust, his fingers curling in Jim's short hair to grip his Sentinel's head. Sensation spiraled within him, building higher, blinding in its intensity as he thrust into that wet warmth that sucked and pulled at him, demanding his completion. With an inarticulate cry, Blair thrust up hard and again, feeling himself burst over the top, his climax shattering with its power.

Jim took all that Blair could give him, swallowing the salty essence, taking part of his Guide into his being. Taking the essence of life that Blair pulsed into him. His own breath was hard and sharp in his chest as he lifted his head to gaze at Blair's flushed face, alight now with passion and love.

"Chief, I..." Jim faltered, coming back into himself, unable to believe what had just happened. Blair was sprawled beneath him, naked to his eyes and open to his touch. Trusting, holding nothing back.

"God, please don't APOLOGIZE!" Sandburg gasped, his voice rising in command. Taking a breath, lifting himself on one elbow, Blair reached out to trace Jim's cheek with his fingertips. "I am your Guide. Yours. All that I am is yours. And all that you are is mine. I need you as much as you need me. Do you hear me, Jim? I NEED you. And, if you want me, want to be fully with me... I want you, too."

Jim's eyes narrowed as he heard the words and wondered at their meaning. But the expression in Blair's eyes couldn"t be mistaken. He was offering himself. Fully. Completely. Without reservation.

"I've never..." Jim stammered, but he could feel the desire in his own body, the ache in his belly, the fire in his loins.

"Me neither, buddy," Blair murmured, his voice low and hoarse. "But, this isn't about being attracted to some guy, Jim. This is... this is something inside us... something that's part of what we are, I think. Something that apparently won't be ignored any longer." Panting a little, wondering if he wasn't pushing too hard in his own sudden, devastating, need, Sandburg let his hand drop as he looked away. "Whatever you want, Jim... whatever you need."

Jim's eyes dropped and almost of their own will, his hands pushed his pants from his body. "I need you," he whispered, excited but afraid. "I don't know how... I'm afraid of hurting you," he murmured, cutting Blair a quick glance.

A slow smile danced over Sandburg's lips as he glanced over the ground around them, reaching when he found what he sought. "Lucky I brought this oil along," he said, as he opened the bottle and poured some in his hand, then leaned to pass the small bottle to Ellison. Warming the oil in his hands while Jim just gaped at him, Blair moved closer, reaching to stroke Jim's chest and belly, his hand drifting further to caress Jim's erection as he leaned in, to lick at Jim's nipple.

Ellison's eyes closed and he arced his back up to Sandburg's mouth. Swallowing against his dry throat, he heaved in a breath as he cautioned hoarsely, "Not too much or I'll lose it..."

Sandburg chuckled deep in his throat at that. "No problem," he murmured. "We have all night... and all of tomorrow, too." Looking up at Jim, he said simply, "Coat your hands with the oil, Jim. While I have some fun here, you begin to loosen me up, okay?"

Not really sure of what he was doing, Jim poured some of the oil into his hand, then pushed the stopper back into the bottle, setting it aside. Blair pushed him back onto the ground, and then crouched at his side so that he could lick and kiss his way along Ellison's body while his ass was within easy reach.

As Blair lavished him with caresses and ravished him with his lips and tongue, Ellison lifted one hand to caress Blair's hip, then let his hand wander up around the curve, his fingertips tracing their way down along the crack until they found the puckered opening to Sandburg's body. Closing his eyes, losing himself to the sensations that swamped him, Jim felt Blair's hot mouth cover him even as he slowly slid one finger into his partner's body. Probing in time to the rhythm Blair was setting, he had to smile when his Guide suddenly stopped and pressed back against his probing finger, arcing his back as he almost shouted with sensual surprise. Again, Ellison rubbed over the small nub inside with sensuous slowness and felt Blair tighten and his heart race as he gasped for breath.

When Blair pushed back, wordlessly asking for more, emboldened, Ellison inserted another finger and then a third, drawing ever wider circles, relaxing the tight band of muscle. Stroking in and out, slowly, driving Blair crazy.

Sandburg moaned again at the touch, astonished at how it felt. There was pain, sharp at first, but it lessened, over-ridden by shafts of blinding pleasure he'd never felt before in his life. Wanting more, needing it, feeling a compulsion to be filled, he pulled away from Jim's fingers and straddled his partner, his knees against Jim's body.

"I want you," he breathed, poised over Jim's erection. "I want you, _now_."

Jim's eyes widened, but he felt the ache of need deep in his gut and he guided himself to Blair's opening even as his partner settled down upon him, slowly impaling himself. Blair held his breath, his head coming up and back, his mouth open as he gasped with the feeling of being filled. Jim arced his hips, unable to resist the tight heat that surrounded him, gasping at the sensation of tight muscles gripping and rippling over him. Slowly, Blair eased back up, stroking himself on Ellison's erection, grunting with the sensuality of the experience as the pressure increased against his prostate, and then, unable to resist, he pushed down again.

Jim gripped one of Sandburg's hips, his other hand reaching to press against Blair's chest, to feel his heart. For endless, erotic minutes, he let his Guide have the lead and simply let the sensations wash over him, fill his being. But, then, his own sense of urgency grew, his need to be one with his Guide, to fill him with his own life and essence. His hands cradling Blair's ribs, he lifted his knees, and then slowly, without withdrawing from the intimate link of their bodies, he rolled so that Blair was on the ground, his hips resting on Ellison's thighs, his legs lifting to wrap around Jim's waist and Jim was clutching his partner's hips, pulling him forward even as he thrust deeply.

Blair arced his back and pulled with his legs, meeting his thrust, as his fingers dug in the earth to give him something to hold onto as he moaned with pleasure. "More, harder..." he gasped.

Harder. And faster. In and out in long smooth thrusts. Hips arcing together. Merging one with the other. Heat building, sensations spiraling. The scent of lust and love in the air around them. Firelight rippling over Sandburg's burnished skin and Ellison's sculpted body. Eyes wide with wonder and dark with passion. The breath tight in their chests, hearts racing. Emotions spiraling up, mingling with physical sensations of such exquisite pleasure as to be almost painful, building, higher, stronger, blinding with their intensity. Merging, into one being, bodies entwined, buried one in the other, hearts beating in unison, seeking rapture, souls melding in the heat and ecstasy of the eternal moment.

Love, pure and boundless, unleashed to find its echo and bind two aching souls together for all time.

"God, I feel you," Blair moaned. "Fill me, Jim... I need you!"

Beyond words, bound by pulsing desire and a passion unlike he'd ever felt before, Jim drank in his Guide, taking him in through all his senses... finally complete and even in the midst of passion, consumed by a peace he"d never known before. He felt the love fill his belly and chest, making him tremble with its intensity as his need for this union built ever higher, until he was unaware of anything but the sensations of being with his Guide, of loving him, of giving Blair all that he was.

Life and love burst from him, filling Blair with the heat of his seed. Sandburg felt Jim come within him and arced up against his Sentinel, wanting all of him, wanting this never to end, aware only of being one with his Sentinel, the being he loved with an intensity greater than anything he'd ever known. They cried out together in that moment of completion, of wondrous union of life and love. Then, still held tightly within his Guide, the Sentinel lowered himself onto his Guide's body and cradled his face with tenderness as Blair's arms circled him to hold him close, kissing him deeply with infinite love, their bodies, hearts and souls melded together, as they'd always been meant to be.

 

* * *

 

They woke to the dawn's soft light, still entwined, skin to skin, warmth to warmth. Blair's gaze sought Jim's and found his Sentinel studying him in silence, face carefully expressionless. Reaching up to brush his fingertips over Jim's brow and down along his cheek to trace his lower lip, his own lips smiling with quiet contentment, Blair asked, "So, how do you feel? Senses all settled down?"

Ellison smiled slowly, his eyes lighting with relief and love to find Blair had no apparent regret for what had occurred. Tightening his embrace around his Guide, he nodded. "Yeah... guess you were right, Professor. I needed to 'imprint' you... on my heart... and my soul."

Sandburg's eyes were filled with love and gratitude for the love he saw reflected in his Sentinel's eyes. "Yours," he murmured. "Always and forever. I love you, Jim."

Ellison felt a lump suddenly appear in his throat and his eyes misted with the intensity of what those words meant to him. Those words, the sound of Blair's voice, the feel of him in his arms, the look in his Guide's eyes. He lowered his head and inhaled the sweetness of Sandburg's breath and then kissed him deeply, tasting him. Drawing back, he swallowed as he whispered hoarsely, "I love you so much it scares me. I would die for you... don't ever leave me."

"You are my Sentinel," Blair vowed. "So long as I breathe, nothing will ever keep me from you. I promise."

"Thank you," Jim sighed as he pulled Blair into a tight hug. "I am yours, Chief. Always and forever. I promise, too. On my life... on my soul."

 

* * *

 

For the rest of the weekend, they each felt a peace neither had ever known before. There was an easiness between them, all constraints gone. The walls had been demolished for good. And they talked about what had happened, Blair more than Jim, but neither held back. The sex had confused them with its unexpectedness an intensity, but neither felt regret, only wonder. It had been a spiritual affirmation as much as it had been a physical act. An affirmation they knew now was available to them when they felt the need of it, to restore energy and reclaim the intimacy they both craved when the world became too much and they needed one another's strength.

As they packed up and headed for home, neither knew what this newfound awareness of one another would mean. They didn't feel like lovers, but they each felt profound love and peace in one another's presence. Whatever the world threw at them, whatever dangers they must yet face in their lives, whatever pain or sorrow, neither would ever be alone again.

They had found the power and glory of a love so great they could, neither of them, find the words to adequately express it. But they could see it in one another's eyes, and in the illuminating light of their smiles. Room-mates and best friends. Partners. Sentinel and Guide.

Souls fused for all time. Forever home in one another.

FINIS

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Affirming the Bond](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9807200) by [JKlog](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JKlog/pseuds/JKlog)




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